Pumpkin in Green!

Here's a cute tablescape I did for autumn ... actually, I set this table every fall!   These pictures are from a workshop I taught ... so yes, one in particular looks like a college classroom!  

I particularly love the color of the green pumpkin/squash.  It is considerably different than what we are used to seeing .. .although I usually buy a couple green  pumpkins ... that are technically squash ... I think!     I'm linking with Tablescape Thursday so make sure you click through to see the other tablescapes.

Pink is for Autumn

I'm posting this combination of pink china with autumn decor ... I used it some time ago as a teaching opportunity to demonstrate the use of atypical colors in autumn decor and tablescapes!  I'm linking to Pink Saturday, so make sure you click through to visit the other posts.  I want to be sure you visit my home page to see my September 11th post, too ... Have a safe weekend.

September 11th

I just posted this the other day, but given the importance of this day, I thought it appropriate to post it with Sunday Favorites and Seasonal Sundays.  This certainly is an important day.


Original Post:


I have spent a lifetime planning ways to share history and culture with people in ways that are easy to comprehend and understand ... from children to elderly adults.   We raised our daughter ... and now want to influence our grand daughter's interests ... by teaching those lessons around the dinner table ... often times in association with the theme or the menu of the meal.   What does all that mean?   Well, how do you teach the lesson of 9/11 in a way that little children might understand, without frightening them?


Did you know that September 11, 2001 was not the first time America was invaded on September 11th?  You might want to read my cooking column from today's Southern Illinoisan Newspaper to find the answer to that question.  Go to Made at Home to read more and find some great recipes.


I'll give you a hint ... the Battle of Brandywine fought during the American Revolution ... and this table is a celebration of the freedoms we need to be remembering on 9/11 as we teach the lessons of that tragedy ... and commemorate the loss we experienced that day.  It's a tablescape ... it's a special menu you'll find in the link above ... and it is a teaching opportunity that you might want to ponder.


This tablescape begins with replica Betsy Ross flags ... so use this as a time to talk about Betsy ... you'll find lots of information on this Betsy Ross site.

The china I've used is Noritake and the pattern is called Pioneer Bay ... and I can't think of anything better to use when celebrating the freedoms that our pioneer colonists fought for.

I love the rustic look of the placemat/chargers ... and the stars bandannas make perfect napkins.

The placemats came from Pier1, the red leaf dish is Depression Glass, the blue goblet is Indiana Glass and the red wine glass is Viking in the Georgian pattern.

Look more closely at the pattern on the china.  The primitive buildings are so neat!  I use this china often ... for any table that needs to be patriotic!  The color palette for accessorizing it goes from patriotic blue to ambers and browns.

Here's the centerpiece ... pretty simple, just a jar filled with grapevine balls and battery operated lights.   Check QVC, if you like the lights ... they are on a timer, so once you tuck them down inside something, you don't have to worry about digging them back out!

I'm participating in Tablescape Thursday so make sure you click through to visit the other posts!   Be sure to visit the link at the top of this post to see my column about September 11th ... and visit my home page if you haven't visited my site lately.  I have some neat posts!   Celebrate Freedom!

Wine on the Tabletop for Tuesday!

Oh, I have wine racks all over the house!  You've seen them in lots of posts.  We love wine and because we have been so involved in our local wine trail, we keep lots of local wine around.  We also enjoy wines from all around the world, so you can find just about anything on my racks.  I wanted to show you a couple things on this little rack ... because they are cute.  I'm posting with Tabletop Tuesday, so make sure you click through to visit the other posts!


I've had this little wine table for years, and I originally bought it because the tray top comes off.  I've moved in through several rooms and right now it is just tucked in the living room ... primarily to hold two things:  the cute wine bottle flameless candle (from QVC) and the hand print wine bottle on the right.  One of my friends gave me the bottle of wine with the imprint of the wine maker's hand on it ... for my 50th birthday!  I've never opened it.  The candle is fabulous ... I love real candles, but with two big dogs and a 4 year old ... flameless is a good thing!  I added the stained glass bauble.

Hope you enjoyed!  Make sure you visit my home page to see my other posts!  Happy September!

Pumpkin Party!

I'm posting with Sunday Favorites at Happy to Design, so make sure you click through to see the other posts!   I'm not necessarily ready for Halloween, but I sure am ready for cooler temperatures.  Summer 2011 in Southern Illinois has been pretty hot!   So, here's to cooler temperatures in September!
Be sure you visit my home page so you can see all my other posts!

Original Post from October, 2010:

Happy Halloween - Welcome to Dinner!

Welcome to my Halloween Girlfriends' Dinner Party!  The girls are coming for homemade lasagna ... witchy style.  The first thing they'll see when they arrive will be Miss Phoebe's decorating job on the front porch!

If they linger on the porch ... they'll meet even more pumpkins!

In the living room, they'll meet the Button Boys ...

In the bathroom, they'll meet my two witch sisters ... who needed a little boost in their self esteem!

Happy Pumpkin Party!   We're not done celebrating Halloween, so check back for Tablescape Thursday to see the last party in a month-long series!  Make sure you scroll down my page to see all my Halloween posts!  Special thanks to our party hostess ... you can click through her button on the left to see all the other posts.

Thrifty Tablescape in Blue

It may be hard to imagine, but I found a set of Mikasa Garden Club dinnerware ... service for 12 ... at one of my favorite resale shops!    I used it at a recent girlfriends' salad supper at my house, so I thought it would be perfect to show off with Thrifty Tablescapes, so make sure you click through to see all the other posts!  First, check out my home page and take a look at my other posts!  Have a great weekend!

I used reproduction Depression Glass Manhattan salad plates that I picked up at a flea market years ago;  Depression bubble bread and butter plates in blue that came from a yard sale ... and some of my collection of Cape Cod Depression Glassware.  I've been collecting the Cape Cod for years ... a few pieces at a time from antique stores or ebay ... but one day I walked into the Goodwill and saw a couple dozen pieces of it.  Of course, I bought it all!

I always print a menu, so my guests know what to expect ...  After I fell in love with the Mikasa, I looked for serving pieces on ebay and happily found the soup tureen and coffee pot with creamer and sugar ... and candle sticks.

Our appetizer was sweet potato hummus with pita bread, but I dressed up our opening cocktails with shrimp on skewers!  How cute is that?  It's like drinking a shrimp cocktail ... use Clamato juice in your Bloody Mary and add a little horseradish to the drink with your other spices.   The Cape Cod parfait glasses are the perfect size for a Bloody Mary!

Pink Saturday in my Autumn Decor

Hello Gang!   I've started doing a little Autumn decorating and since I have a new crimson sofa and chair, I decided that the typical orange and green color scheme in typical fall pieces wouldn't work.  I happily found this beautiful wreath and candle ring that had some deep Autumn pinks in it and it works perfectly!


I'm linking with Pink Saturdays, so make sure you click through to see all the other posts ... but first, go to my home page and look at the things I have posted.   Have a great weekend!

It's State Fair Time!

In Illinois we have two state fairs ... one in our capitol Springfield and a second one in Southern Illinois called the DuQuoin Stere Fair.  This year, my daughter Nicole and I attended the Springfield State Fair to accept an award from State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka.  She recognized folks who have worked in agritourism and our culinary destination project was a winner!  It's hard to take a serious picture with Ms. Topinka ... she's a blast and we all love her for her efforts ... and her sense of humor!  Just look at our picture in the sidebar!   We'll attend the DuQuoin State Fair, too ... for several events including a Willie Nelson concert!

Here's a cute tablescape I set to celebrate state fair time!  The whole table theme focused on a set of place mats and a table runner that I have used for 15 years!  I get them out at least once a year!  Look closely at these cuties .. all the elements of a perfect fair!

I wanted the centerpiece to pick up the colors in the placemats ... especially the cluster of balloons, so pink was a must!  I surrounded the silk flower basket with other key elements of the fair ... the animals ... and the only blue ribbon I've ever won at the state fair!  It was for a centerpiece that had a ceramic pig in it!   My sister made me the cut out pig with her basket of apples .. .several years ago .. .but she finds her way to many tablescapes!

 My dinnerware ... and especially the napkin .. mimic the fair foods ... pink cotton candy and lemon shake-ups!  I don't eat cotton candy anymore, but still have at least one shake-up ... then I'm on a sugar high for three days!  The dinnerware is Home Trends from JCPenny.

Now for the stars of the tablescape ... and of the state fairs in the Midwest ... Watkins, the extracts and seasonings folks ... and now they sell all kinds of cosmetic products, too!  I have a collection of Watkins Kids plates ... and they are adorable.  You'll see more of them this year at Halloween time .. but for now, take a look at these sweet little salad/dessert plates.  They were made in 1991 ... and I love to use them!

I'm linking with:

Pink Saturdays     

 Seasonal Sundays

 Tablescape Thursday
End of Summer Party

Make sure you click through to see all the other posts ... and if you'd like to see the dinner we had on this tablescape, click my homepage and visit my other posts!

Steak and Potatoes!

One of our favorite meals includes a big thick sirloin steak marinated in one of a few combinations of flavors, then grilled and sliced thinly, served with a great sauce!    The men in my life think you can't have steak without potatoes ... and then there's the bread ... must have bread ... and we all love Caesar Salad and Roasted Broccoli!   Add a steaming cup of coffee and biscotti to dip and swirl, and we are happy folks!

This meal had a little Spanish flavor.  The marinade for the meat was 1/2 cup each of red wine, olive oil and water ... with a Tablespoon of fresh lime juice, a little garlic and fresh cilantro.   Mix it all together and let the steak soak in it for 4 hours at room temperature, turning it frequently.  Grill it your way!  I also made a sauce by reducing the marinade to about half and adding approximately a cup of chipotle BBQ sauce and a cup of beef stock ... and simmered mushrooms in it.


I made the au'gratin potatoes with cream and Chihuahua cheese and rolled the pull apart bread chunks in chopped fresh cilantro and chives.

All from Junkin'!

I posted this a couple months ago for Pink Saturday, but wanted to post it again for Thrifty Things Friday because I've managed to buy 6 of these adorable strawberry bowls ... thrifting!  They actually are the center piece to a Lazy Susan style crudite tray ... but I keep finding the bowls without the rest of the pieces.  They are perfect to start a meal with ... a neat covered salad.  Everything else in that stack came from junk stores, too!

Vacation Dance Contest

We enjoyed a vacation in the Wisconsin Dells ... at the Kalahari Waterpark Resort!  What a place!  The first night, as we started to have dinner ... the restaurant hosted a dance contest!   Miss Phoebe and this other little girl in purple ... rushed to the dance floor.  Then the kids all went to the stage and learned a dance routine to "Wooly Bully"!   Now, you have to be a grandmother to even remember the song "Wooly Bully" ... but the kids didn't care ... they had a great time and they all won a lei!

Peach Banana Bread

I'd be fibbing if I told you I had a couple peaches getting soft in the crisper ... they don't last that long at my house!   However, just like using up dark ripe bananas, this recipe is a good way to use some peaches that are softening ...


I'm joining On the Menu Monday so make sure you click through to visit all the other posts.  Thanks to our hostess at Stone Gable.


Peach Banana Bread

Mix together 2 cups flour, 1 ½ cups sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon powdered ginger and ½ teaspoon salt.    

Whisk together 2 eggs and 1/3 cup canola oil.   Gently blend the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Don't over mix.

Stir in 2 mashed ripe bananas and 2 peaches, peeled and chopped.  

Bake in 2 prepared bread pans for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.    You can top the bread with chopped nuts and/or cinnamon and sugar before baking.   Cool about 15 minutes before inverting from the bread pans.